Editing Madeira wine (section)

=== The aging process ===
[[File:MadeiraWinery.jpg|right|thumb|Barrels of wine aging in the sun: the unique aging process of Madeira wine in which heat and temperature helped protect the wine for long sea voyages through tropical climates.]] What makes Madeira wine production unique is how the wines are aged in relatively high temperatures, meant to duplicate the effect of a long sea voyage on the [[aging barrel]]s through tropical climates. Three main methods are used to heat the wine during aging. Two of the three methods belong to the ''estufagem'' process (''estufa'' means hothouse or stove in Portuguese), in which artificial heat is used to accelerate the aging process of the wines, whereas the ''canteiro'' process is used for the older and more expensive wines and employs only the natural heat of the barrel warehouses.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://bespokeunit.com/wine/madeira/making/| title = Article in 'Bespoke Unit'| date = 10 March 2021}}</ref>

''Estufagem'' processes:
* ''Armazém de Calor'' (heat-cycled rickhouses): Only used by the Madeira Wine Company, this method involves storing the wine in large wooden casks in a specially designed room outfitted with steam-producing tanks or pipes that heat the room, creating a type of [[sauna]]. This process more gently exposes the wine to heat and can last from six months to over a year.
* ''Cuba de Calor'' (heated tanks): The most common, used for low-cost Madeira, is bulk aging in low stainless steel or concrete tanks surrounded by either heat coils or piping that allow hot water to circulate around the container. The wine is heated to temperatures as high as 130&nbsp;°F (55&nbsp;°C) for a minimum of 90 days as regulated by the Madeira Wine Institute. However, the Madeira is most commonly heated to approximately 115&nbsp;°F (46&nbsp;°C)

Barrel-aging process:
* ''Canteiro'' (loft aging): Used for the highest quality Madeiras, these wines are aged without the use of any artificial heat, being stored by the winery in warm rooms that are heated only by the warm climate of the Madeira island. ''Colheita'' Madeiras are aged for at least five years in this manner, whereas for ''Frasqueira'' ([[vintage]]) Madeira, this heating process can last anywhere from 20 years to over 200 years in exceptional cases such as the 1795 Barbeito Terrantez.<ref name="Oxford pg 416-419"/> The term ''Canteiro'' comes from ''canteiros''{{snd}}the wooden staves that keep the barrels in their places. ''Canteiro'' process is used by all of the top Madeira brands, including Blandy's, Borges, Broadbent, d'Oliveiras and Justino's.

Much of the characteristic flavour of Madeira is due to this practice, which hastens the mellowing of the wine and also tends to check secondary [[fermentation (wine)|fermentation]] in as much as it is, in effect, a mild kind of [[pasteurization]]. Furthermore, the wine is deliberately exposed to air, causing it to [[Oxidation|oxidize]]. The resulting wine has a colour similar to a [[port wine|tawny port wine]]. Wine tasters sometimes describe a wine that has been exposed to excessive heat during its storage as being cooked or ''[[maderize]]d''.